


Far From Victory

by ideallyqualia



Series: Granblue Fantasy [4]
Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Universe, First Meetings, M/M, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-22 02:04:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17050994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ideallyqualia/pseuds/ideallyqualia
Summary: Cain found out he liked bothering the man in charge of things around Merkmal. It was too bad they were enemies. Probably.





	Far From Victory

**Author's Note:**

  * For [seventhsky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/seventhsky/gifts).



It was absolutely essential that no one else tackled this situation. Even if the whole problem could be solved much more quickly with help, he would rather work on it alone. Lives were at stake.

Leona was going to hate it. So would everyone else in the higher ranks of the military. Cain was so dubiously well known for his weird tactics, light attitude, and pacifism that it wouldn't be too shocking, but he was going to have to let Leona down on this one.

Cain slipped out early in the morning. A few officers spotted him, and he let himself be spotted, sliding up to them and greeting them instead of ignoring them or even just giving them a wave. He hadn't exactly been tiptoeing around trying to sneak out -- that would just look suspicious.

Cain boarded an airship for Merkmal Island. He had already done his research, there was nothing left to do but act. Some of that would involve literally acting.

When he arrived, the first thing he did was visit the village close to Sturren Fort. It wasn't a large island, so it was the only village, but there were enough people living there for it to be a large village. There were also people living at the fort.

Cain introduced himself as a researcher to the villagers. Going after the fort first and having to introduce himself there would've been fine, but having the villagers know him ahead of time would make the outlaws believe him more easily.

"And may I ask what, exactly, you're researching here on Merkmal?" an elderly villager asked. "Forgive me, but I'm just curious. Merkmal is a small island, and there's not much here."

"No, I understand," Cain said with a smile. Internally he was grimacing and cursing the man's curiosity. Running around only being known for vague research was the ideal; the less he had to make up, the better. His mind raced for something logical he could lie about. "I'm just here cataloging monsters, nothing groundbreaking," he said, his military experience giving him the idea. He had plenty of experience fighting them.

"Oh, I see," the main said, his curiosity piqued and interest dying. "Well, good luck."

"Thanks!" Cain waved at him and bowed out of his house.

Two large well-built men stood in front of the house next door, banging on the door and yelling.

"I know your son took my sword a few minutes ago! Cough it up!"

"I-I can't find it!" a man called from inside. There was low indiscernible hissing, like he was scolding a child.

Cain debated intervening. He was alone in a strange place, but there was a child involved. If something happened to the child, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

There was still a door in between them, though. Cain stood back and watched instead of jumping in, leaning against the wall of the house he had just exited.

One of the men pounded on the door again. "Where is it?!"

"I still can't find it!" the child's father yelled back.

They argued back and forth for several minutes, talking about nothing else. It sounded useless, they didn't mention any new information, but Cain noticed the distance between them in their words. The two men didn't live in the village. They were probably from the fort.

Then one of them lifted his axe, and Cain slid in, raising his hands as he sidled up to one of the men, careful not to actually step in front of the axe.

"Woah, woah! Hold on! Is that really necessary?" Cain asked.

The men turned, one of them snarling. "Who're you?"

"My name's Cain. I'm a visiting researcher," Cain said with a slight shrug as he spread his arms. "But, really, the problem here is the child you're threatening. Is that necessary?"

"Of course it is! I set my sword down for one _second_ , and the brat took it!"

"And you think threatening a child will do the trick?" Cain waved at them dismissively. "Step aside, I'll get it," he said quietly, too low for anyone to hear through the wall.

Before the men could argue or attack, Cain stepped forward toward the house, slightly pushing them aside as he knocked on the door.

"Hello? Excuse me?" Cain asked in a pretend-nervous voice. "There's two scary looking men out here, and they don't look too thrilled with me passing by. Can you let me in?"

Cain thanked his foresight of introducing himself to the villagers first. They opened the door for him -- just enough for him to slip through, not enough for the others. Cain darted in.

He shut the door by leaning his back against it, and he let out a sigh of relief.

The fact that they were gullible enough to have let in a near stranger was enough to tell Cain that the child was probably naive enough to really take someone's sword like it was a toy, but he didn't say anything.

The father looked sheepish. "I'm sorry for getting you involved..."

Cain waved his hand. "Don't worry about it! Those men looked like they were going to attack me whether I walked by or not," he said, intentionally wording it hoping for the man to react.

The man did. He grimaced. "Yes, they're... Well... They're rough, but they wouldn't attack out of nowhere. I think."

Cain hummed in acknowledgment, and then he caught the eye of the little boy. He approached him and crouched.

"Is it true? Did you take the man's sword?"

"H-he was... I... He was being mean," the boy said.

Cain sighed and nodded, his head hanging heavily for a moment. "I figured it was something like that..."

"But I can't find it anywhere," the father said quickly in a harsh whisper. "My son forgot where it is."

Cain released a deeper sigh. "So that's why you won't let them in."

"Do you think you can look for it outside? I hate to ask this when I barely know you, but I don't want to go outside when they're--"

"No, it's no problem, I'll help you!" Cain forced out a smile to ease their worries. Getting on the village's good side would only help.

Someone banged on the door again. "Are you through yet?!"

Cain opened the door a crack. "Will you promise to let me get out if I help you?"

"Fine, just hurry up! We don't have all day!"

Cain slid out the same way he came in, keeping the door closed as much as possible. He then flashed another smile at the men.

"The boy doesn't have it in the house, that's why they couldn't say anything, and they were too afraid to say it. I'm going to go get it. That's alright, right?" Cain's mouth twitched, renewing his smile.

"Then where is it?"

"Relax, I'll get it. Now come on, gentlemen, let's leave this poor family alone." Cain walked confidently away, and they followed.

He got as far as the village outskirts before they interrupted.

"Where are we going?" one of them asked.

"We have to perform an ancient ritual first before the path will reveal itself. Don't you know about this island's history?" Cain clicked his tongue.

"What _ritual_?"

"Searching. We have to look for it," Cain said.

The two men glanced at each other, and then took out their weapons.

"Sounds like a load of crap to me."

"So you don't even know where it is?"

Before Cain could even say anything, the axe wielder attacked, and he brought up his katana to defend.

"Now, gentlemen, the truth is, the little boy forgot where he put it," he said, his voice strained from holding one of them back.

"He _lost it_. The brat!"

"You'll pay for this!"

Cain slashed and shoved the man back, and then attacked the other man who was fumbling with what was clearly not his real weapon.

Cain struck him in the hand, kicked him in the leg, and then slashed again. He regretted the blood, but there was nothing he could do about it.

After a minute of fighting they gave up and stood back.

"Who did you say you were again?" one of them asked. They were both staring at him. They were grimacing, but Cain recognized the shock in their faces.

"A visiting researcher." Cain waved his katana. "I know it might _seem_ strange, but I'm trained just to defend myself. When you travel long enough, it becomes critical."

"Sure, whatever. Just hurry up getting my sword back."

They reluctantly walked away. Cain grimaced to himself and turned back to the village, knowing he was going to hate the goose chase.

It was for a kid, though, so Cain was never going to complain.

 

* * *

 

A few hours later Cain found it. The next problem came up: returning it. Cain had no idea where to find the men.

When he asked the father, he was thanked profusely and then pointed in the direction of Sturren Fort. The trepidation in his voice as he pointed it out did not bode well.

"Who are you?" someone asked gruffly at the entrance.

"Delivery!" Cain presented the sword. "One of your men was asking for this."

The guard's expression changed as he narrowed his eyes in scrutiny. "You. Tzar wants to see you."

"Tzar? Who's that?"

The guard looked at him like he was stupid.

"Humor me. I'm not a mind reader, and I'm new around here."

"Reinhardtzar is the ruler of this island," the guard said, but this time when he spoke, his voice held a weight of respect to it.

Cain stood taller. This was _exactly_ what he had come here for. "I'll go see him, then!"

The guard nodded in approval and called out for someone else. The man that appeared escorted him inside.

As they walked Cain glanced around, matching what he knew with what he was seeing. If nothing had changed from the drawings and military reports, then he could escape quickly.

The escort brought him to a room with a large table at the center. The maps on the wall dignified it as a war council room. A large draph sat at the table, even bigger and more muscled than the other men that worked for him. Cain wondered if that alone earned him the leadership.

"This is Cain?" Reinhardtzar asked, his voice deep and commanding.

"Yes."

"Good. Let me speak with him alone."

The guard bowed out.

"So. You're a researcher," Reinhardtzar said, slowly and heavily, like he was including air quotes.

"Yes, I am."

"What are you here for?"

"I research monsters. I'm cataloging them here," Cain explained, grateful that the old man had bothered him about it before.

"I guess that explains your strength." Reinhardtzar leaned forward over the table, propping his elbows and bringing his hands together. "Merkmal doesn't need any meddlers around. Hurry up with your work, and when you're done, leave."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm leaving tonight! I don't intend to _stay_ here. I've got a home and other work to do."

Reinhardtzar raised an eyebrow. "You're already done?"

"For the day. I found some nice monsters earlier while running around. I'll come back, though, don't worry."

Reinhardtzar's frown twitched. "Hurry up and get out."

"Okay, okay." Cain turned to leave.

"I'm serious, Cain. Don't interfere with the island when you have no idea what's going on," Reinhardtzar said as he left.

 

* * *

 

Cain wandered back out the next day, boarding an airship early in the morning. He woke up even earlier than the day before, wanting to spend more time on the island before he had to head home. It was the weekend, so there wasn't much work needed at the base, meaning Leona and the others still wouldn't really miss him.

True to his word, he set out for the monsters on the island, occasionally fighting them to pretend he was working. The villagers appreciated him clearing them out. What he was really doing was scoping out the island for the fort's seal, but no one could tell what he was doing.

The men at the fort did not appreciate him steering too close to the fort. Even when he explained in an easy lie that his wandering was really monster hunting.

Eventually Reinhardtzar came out himself. He stood with his arms crossed. "What're you doing here? You said you were done."

"Yeah, I was done. For the _day_. It's a new day." Cain shrugged and turned.

Reinhardtzar dropped a hand on his shoulder and forced him back around. Cain tried not to gulp at the strength in his grip.

"I told you not to meddle."

"I'm not."

"Then why are you hanging around so close to the fort?"

"Like I told your men, I--"

"I don't believe it. Monsters don't come close to the fort. The building itself keeps them away."

"Interesting!" Cain whirled around fully, facing him with a grin. Reinhardtzar was unaware of just how much ammo he had given him. "The monsters avoid it? Monsters don't always avoid buildings! They sometimes get into villages and towns. Do you have any--"

Reinhardtzar released a long-suffering sigh. "I'm not going to talk to you about this."

"But now I _have_ to investigate the fort!"

" _No_ ," Reinhardtzar said. His frown broke into a real grimace.

"Tell me what you know about this island! It has some history, right?" Cain asked, hoping to pry information out of him.

Cain already knew everything about the island. There was no further information he could uncover about it. What he was looking for was information on _Reinhardtzar_ , and why the people were living the way they were. Anything, even just talking, would tell Cain more about him. People reacted when they talked, emotions played across their faces and their voices changed. And Cain was good at reading people.

"No," Reinhardtzar said instead. He gestured at Cain, and a few of his men stepped forward.

"Not again," Cain groaned. He raised his katana.

As he fought them off, he noticed Reinhardtzar standing back, far enough away to be out of the action but close enough to be watching.

Cain still didn't have a real idea who Reinhardtzar was, but he was smart enough to watch and gauge an enemy instead of just walking away. Cain hated some of his indulgences, like being excited at the prospect of an intelligent _enemy_ , but judging from what he knew Reinhardtzar could actually be calculated instead of cruel or merciless.

If he was smart enough to care not getting his men killed, then it meant he cared at all, which was better than fighting a purely evil guy or a murderer. Cain wanted to care. He didn't want to see these people get killed. If Reinhardtzar was smart _and_ merciful...

Cain didn't mind being watched. He didn't even mind liking being watched.

After he beat them down and cast them aside, he turned to Reinhardtzar's direction to approach him, but he was gone.

 

* * *

 

Cain continued to prowl the perimeter of Sturren Fort for dubious purposes he barely explained, and Reinhardtzar continued to send his man to attack and stop him.

It was a dangerous plan, and he was fully aware of it. Not just in a literal sense because of the fighting, but because he was also squeezing in visits to Merkmal around his other military duties, and Leona would have his head when she found out. It was dangerous and desperately ambitious on so many fronts.

Because he was also an idiot who thrived on interaction and humor, he could not stop himself from provoking Reinhardtzar a little, even though they were enemies. Riling him up sounded fun, provided he was thrown at a nonhuman target, like a monster.

"Are you actually any good at fighting?" Cain asked after he sent Reinhardtzar's men packing one morning.

Reinhardtzar was no longer surprised by his strength, just accepting. Reinhardtzar stood nearby with a contemplative look on his face, regarding Cain like he was calculating something.

Cain did not put any thought into why he wanted Reinhardtzar to go back to being surprised or impressed. Reinhardtzar was still being observant, though.

"Of course I can fight. I'm the best fighter here."

"On the whole island?" Cain asked coolly.

"Yeah."

"Well, then why don't you actually do it? I think--"

"Fine," Reinhardtzar said gruffly, and he raised his fists and brought them together.

"...Wait what?"

Cain barely had the chance to swing his katana up and block a swing.

He had actually been intending to make Reinhardtzar clear out some monsters of his own. He wanted to see him in action, make some observations of his own, and figure out his weaknesses in case they ever fought, but fighting each other _now_ was something he wasn't prepared for.

Then he thought back, realized he had been unclear, and admitted to himself that the whole situation was completely his fault.

Normally, calculation and logic didn't fail Cain. Even in a pinch he could cobble together a plan to save his skin. He rarely ever panicked blindly.

Cain panicked. He knew Reinhardtzar was powerful and could pummel him into the ground -- blocking him alone had sent him back from the force of the blow -- and without help, Cain would definitely lose. And despite Cain's mental gymnastics, there was no joking around the fact that Reinhardtzar was a real enemy.

Since Reinhardtzar was so powerful, though, Cain briefly spared a moment to figure that his power might not be in running speed, just fighting strength. He had thought that _after_ already turning and running away, but it had a chance of being true.

Especially since Reinhardtzar wasted his breath to yell, " _Really_? You're running away?"

Cain did not bother responding. He ran like his life depended on it.

Reinhardtzar's heavy footsteps followed him, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction. Not _relief_ , relief was for _after_ battles, he wasn't even in the habit of letting his guard down, but he still had a weird mixed rush from being both indulged and chased.

Reinhardtzar knocked over a tree at Cain, and Cain rolled away, barely able to register surprise. He swore that tree had its roots in the ground before Reinhardtzar grabbed it.

"Cain!" Reinhardtzar yelled. Cain was too hyped up on adrenaline to tell if he was angry or not.

It did not help things that he was yelling his name, because Cain's insolent heart seized in his chest from shock, and even if it was just shock that Reinhardtzar was close by enough to be that loud, Cain's heart and brain were still stupid and connected lots of things to the feeling of weakness.

Cain grimaced and shot to his feet. The sight of wild herbs growing from the ground caught his eye, and he hesitated, recognizing the herbs immediately, but the next second he had to duck as Reinhardtzar threw out a fist.

The close call made Cain's heart thud.

"Stop running _away_ ," Reinhardtzar gritted out. He still wasn't angry, but his voice was approaching frustrated disappointment.

Cain tore a clump of herbs and tucked them into his pocket. From the information he had read about Merkmal before starting his undercover work, he knew there were herbs growing on Merkmal that were so bitter that they had a noticeable smell. Most people wouldn't be able to sniff them out, but they tasted horrid, and monsters and animals with acute senses of smell not only noticed, they were bothered by it. And from the information he had been forced to learn to keep up his front as a monster researcher, he knew that living on Merkmal was a type of monster that fit the type.

He fought against a grin, but it still twisted his mouth with a self-satisfied twitch. If he had been worried about making an impression, this would definitely do the trick.

When Reinhardtzar noticed his grin, he frowned. "Are you just playing around?"

"Oh no, I'm dead serious." Cain waggled his katana in a parody of a wave, and then broke out into another desperate sprint. Reinhardtzar was so fast that he still had to put his all into just getting away.

Regardless of Reinhardtzar's reservations and disappointment, he continued to pursue. He drove an arm across a tree like he was expecting it to run through it, and to Cain's shock it did. It sliced through with ease, sending the top half careening toward Cain.

Cain dodged. He also recognized the potent military-sanctioned technique that boosted one's own power, and he tripped over a root in surprise. Reinhardtzar also had to be a man of the military, or at least had to have been.

Cain stopped glancing back to check if he was following and led them to where he knew there was a monster nest. He had already been planning to take Reinhardtzar there to fight according to his original plan, but because Reinhardtzar probably already knew about where monsters lived on Merkmal, Cain couldn't just run in and hope he would blindly follow.

He had to force the monsters out, all while being chased and without Reinhardtzar knowing.

Cain rolled again to avoid the next punch Reinhardtzar sent into a tree, and he used the movement to swipe more plants, this time grabbing what he knew to be sweet-smelling flowers that would attract the monsters. He had to wait to grab them until he was relatively close to the nest.

Over the next few minutes Cain traced a haphazard perimeter around the nest, carefully avoiding making any kind of suspicious shape like a circle that Reinhardtzar would notice. Along the way he rolled or dove for the floor, and one time pretended to trip and crouched close to the ground, all so he could sprinkle a few pieces of repellent herbs. It was the only way he could leave them behind without Reinhardtzar knowing, by dropping them close enough to the ground that he couldn't see them fall.

After a while, though, Reinhardtzar noticed they had managed to skirt a monster nest without invading it. He slowed down a safe distance away from Cain.

"What are you _doing_?"

Unfortunately for Reinhardtzar, Cain was done dodging around. He had just dropped the sweet flowers that would attract monsters. He picked up a rock.

"Reinhardtzar, I'm sure you know about all the monsters that live on Merkmal, right?"

"Right," Reinhardtzar said with wariness as he eyed Cain.

"There's one species in particular that fascinates me! They resemble wildcats, and they have an incredible...sense of smell." Cain threw the rock over the trees, in the direction of the nest.

Seconds after he stepped to the side. A low rumble carried out through the otherwise quiet background noise of the island wildlife.

"What did you just do?"

Cain crouched, grabbed another rock, and threw it. Reinhardtzar turned and started to run, but it was already way too late. A few wildcat monsters tore through the undergrowth, snarling with their hackles raised.

They ran right past Cain toward Reinhardtzar.

Cain, for the first time in his life, dropped his weapons on the battlefield. He bent over and laughed. The expression on Reinhardtzar's face was _priceless_.

So many emotions flitted across Reinhardtzar's face, from pure vulnerable surprise to anger to even a little fear. Cain would've never let them injure him seriously, he would've chased them off or helped, but Reinhardtzar didn't know that.

" _What did you do_?!"

All Cain could do was point and laugh as the monsters poured out from the nest. He only stopped to throw more rocks, and after he was satisfied, he stood back and watched.

Reinhardtzar was definitely a capable fighter. The raw power in his punches was enough to send monsters flying, but the monsters were also nimble enough to dodge, even better than Cain. There were also so many that it was impossible for Reinhardtzar to block and punch them all before they got in swipes, scratches, and bites, but he could throw them off with ease. Way more ease than Cain could accomplish.

More than that, though, Reinhardtzar was just...built. It was incredibly obvious he had a lot of muscle, but it was even more obvious when he was in the thick of things, bucking monsters off and punching them into the dirt. The chest-less armor gave too much of a view, and Cain found his mouth dry and his eyes unable to go anywhere else.

Then Cain realized just how many monsters were swarming him, and how the injuries had to be stacking up, and he felt a twinge of guilt. He had already stopped laughing minutes ago.

He approached the monsters confidently, swinging his katana to menace them with a flash of steel.

"Sorry, but could you lay off him now? I think he's had enough," Cain said.

His timing drove the monsters off because of the smell of the bitter herbs left in his pocket, but when he turned to look over Reinhardtzar he realized that it looked completely different outside of context.

"How did you drive them off so quickly?" Reinhardtzar asked.

Cain didn't want to tell him the truth. He considered reveling in whatever cool image he must have inadvertently had in front of Reinhardtzar.

Then he tripped over a rock, flailed, dropped his katana, and fell in Reinhardtzar's direction.

He tried to land with his hands on the ground to keep himself off of him, but Reinhardtzar was so big that Cain still landed painfully on him, his arms hitting the rim of the armor bordering his chest.

Reinhardtzar released the most exasperated sigh Cain had ever heard.

"This is going to sound hard to believe now, but the reason the monsters fled is because I'm so powerful," Cain said.

"I never would have believed that."

"Why not? There's no other explanation." Cain crossed his arms with mock seriousness.

"Just get off."

Cain shrugged. "Oh, I don't know... The view from up here is great. Plus, when's the next time I get to lord over you such an incredible and obvious victory? The only downside is that there's none of your men around, it's just us."

Reinhardtzar sat up abruptly, sending Cain falling off. He shoved Cain away by the shoulder.

Instead of removing his hand from Cain's shoulder, though, he stared at Cain.

"Explain what just happened."

"I already did," Cain said.

"Yeah, and that was the worst lie I've ever heard. What really happened?"

Cain adopted a cocky smile, not answering for a few moments to push his patience. "I'm never going to tell. Have fun telling your men what happened, though!"

Reinhardtzar's hand tightened on Cain's shoulder. He didn't say anything at first, just staring, his eyes narrowing with the harshness of calculation. Cain restrained himself from reacting.

"Fine. Have it your way," Reinhardtzar finally said. He stood, glanced over at the trampled bushes and plants, sighed, and walked away.

Cain released the tension he hadn't realized he'd been holding. It was almost like he hadn't been breathing at all.

 

* * *

 

The next time Cain came across Reinhardtzar and his men, he was genuinely participating in monster hunting. The villagers had told him that a large monster had been hanging too close recently, and he considered getting rid of it fair when they had been helping him and occasionally feeding him. Even without their help, though, he would've gotten rid of the monster anyway. He was duty driven. It also made him feel a little like a skyfarer, which was fun to imagine.

Reinhardtzar slowed to a stop in front of him, and his men did the same.

"What're you doing out here?" he asked.

"Getting rid of monsters."

Reinhardtzar raised an eyebrow. "You're a researcher. Isn't that all you're here for?"

"No, I can help out. I heard someone in the village say a monster's been bugging them."

Reinhardtzar's men exchanged glances.

"That's our job. We clear out the monsters around here," Reinhardtzar said.

"You _do_?" Cain glanced at the ground, his hand at his chin. "Interesting."

"What did you think we do around here? Nothing?"

"No, but... Well... I'm not sure, actually." Cain shrugged his ignorance off, but inside he was reeling.

Reinhardtzar and his men didn't just intimidate people and order the villagers around, they actually protected them. It was dubiously given protection under the circumstances, but still.

Reinhardtzar shook his head. "I don't know what I expected from you." He turned, and the rest of his men turned with him. "Just leave this to us."

"Wait! Why don't I help?" Cain offered. "I was already going to do it anyway."

Reinhardtzar paused. "No."

"Why not?" Cain asked. He tried keeping his voice light and casual, but it still came out as a slight whine.

"Don't you have work to do?" Reinhardtzar asked back.

"Dodging the question? Don't tell me..." Cain grinned. "Is it because of what happened yesterday when we were alone?"

"You what?" one of Reinhardtzar's men asked.

Reinhardtzar's forehead twitched. "Everything that happened was your fault."

"Wait, you didn't even tell your men what happened?" Cain asked, his grin widening. "Are you that embarrassed?"

"I'm not embarrassed," Reinhardtzar insisted.

Someone leaned over to quietly ask him, "What happened?"

"Shut up! We're leaving!" Reinhardtzar turned back abruptly to face away again.

"Wait up!" Cain called out. He jogged to catch up.

"Leave us alone," Reinhardtzar muttered, but it was too low to be meant to be heard.

"Don't worry, I can handle myself," Cain reassured with a pat on Reinhardtzar's back. "You _know_ I can."

Reinhardtzar shrugged him off forcefully. "Don't push your luck."

He didn't try to run away or manhandle Cain into staying back, so Cain considered it a victory and an invitation. He unsheathed his katana.

"Anything you say," Cain said.

Cain was all too eager to fight monsters, taking them down even more easily than he had most of Reinhardtzar's men. It still wasn't that impressive compared to Reinhardtzar himself, but Reinhardtzar was actively avoiding Cain, and Cain took that as a compliment toward how strong Reinhardtzar thought he was.

Cain was also too eager to bring up the story of yesterday over and over, vaguely talking about it without actually explaining anything, not even the basics according to what Reinhardtzar knew had happened. It really just amounted to teasing Reinhardtzar. Some of Reinhardtzar's men found it amusing, but no one found it as funny as Cain.

Reinhardtzar stomped up to Cain. "You're going to have to stop talking."

"Completely?"

" _Completely_." Reinhardtzar stared at him, hard. "You need to word your stories better."

"What're you talking about? I didn't even mention how you technically lost to me in a fight. All I did was say we went monster hunting."

"Yes, and you also laid on the embarrassing angle real thick. And mentioned we were alone."

Cain didn't say anything for a moment. "I...see how that might be weird for you."

Reinhardtzar grimaced. "Is this your idea of a joke?"

"I do like jokes, yeah."

Reinhardtzar grabbed him by the collar and hauled him closer. " _Don't_ make inappropriate jokes."

"Inappropriate?" Cain chuckled, a little nervously at the hand on his collar. "That wasn't _inappropriate_. It was just funny."

"Well, don't try being funny."

Cain patted Reinhardtzar's arm. "Maybe you just need to lighten up?" He pried his arm off his collar.

Reinhardtzar looked him in the eye as he released him. "No."

"Well. No promises I won't stop being funny." Cain flashed a smile.

Reinhardtzar narrowed his eyes. "Don't make my life hell, or I'll make _yours_ hell."

Cain perked up. "How? Pranks?"

"No. Just pure hell."

"I'm looking forward to it, then!" Cain exclaimed brightly.

Reinhardtzar just looked at him like he didn't understand him.

 

* * *

 

Cain didn't think he was particularly strong. He could fight, but it was mostly because he had pushed himself through training, both military-grade and personal. He liked to think that his real strength was a more ambiguous kind, a composite of intelligence and fighting skill that reflected more on him as a general than it did him as a foot soldier.

That was why, when Reinhardtzar continued to eye him, Cain found himself dangerously pleased. It wasn't just sizing up an enemy, it was like Reinhardtzar was thinking of _recruiting_ him, which was hilarious, ridiculous, and surprising all at once. There was no other reason for the strange weight to the eyeing, though.

Then Cain cracked one too many jokes about it, and Reinhardtzar's men started actively interfering with Cain everywhere he went, and he realized what Reinhardtzar meant by hell. It was getting harder and harder to investigate the fort, map out the area, and do other private work.

"We have got to stop meeting like this," Cain said after defeating another group of his men. "You're either a sadist and you like punishing your men, or you're a masochist who likes to lose."

"Are you done?" Reinhardtzar asked. It was mostly a genuine question about Cain's research and prowling that he was trying to interfere with, but over the past few days Cain's also inflicted untold amounts of discomfort via bad jokes and bizarre or borderline inappropriate humor, and every day Reinhardtzar was starting to sound more and more exasperated.

The tension and the reciprocating exasperation made Cain think he was playing along with whatever stupid game he had accidentally dragged them both into, but he was also afraid it was all in his head, so he didn't do anything too uncomfortable, he didn't do more than poke and prod at him.

"Nope! Isn't wasting time and manpower on me a...well...a waste?" Cain asked.

"It's never a waste to use your resources to clear out pests," Reinhardtzar said.

"Oh, ouch. Maybe I've been antagonizing you too much. But at the same time, you're learning how to make fun of me! Am I rubbing off on you?"

Reinhardtzar's jaw fell slack like he had been deeply affronted. Cain couldn't hold back a brief round of laughter.

"I see. You're overwhelmed. I'll leave you alone now, then." Cain nodded with a chuckle of dying laughter.

Reinhardtzar prickled, but he let Cain leave without saying anything.

 

* * *

 

After a while Cain knew he had to hurry things up. He couldn't afford to waste any more time on Merkmal before Leona or someone else realized what he had been doing.

Cain decided to push his luck and push Reinhardtzar's patience. He approached Reinhardtzar, led with his usual humor, and then dove into the topic he had been avoiding for a while.

"Why _are_ you so mean to the villagers?"

"It's not mean. We're providing protection."

"You extort them," Cain said matter-of-factly. He fixed Reinhardtzar with a no-nonsense look, all humor gone.

"We don't extort them. It's give and take. Like paying taxes for protection and other work."

Cain stared at him, unimpressed. "That is...not how government really works. I mean technically it does I guess, but that's not how it _should_ work, it's more complicated than that."

"Oh? Then tell me. How does it work? And how do you know exactly how it works? You're a researcher, and you know how to fight. Don't tell me you have leadership skills, too."

Cain knew better than to acknowledge that, although he desperately wanted to make a joke skirting around how it was the truth.

"No, I don't, although I've traveled enough and seen enough of rulers and leaders to know that there's something wrong here."

"Like what?" Reinhardtzar pressed, irritated.

"For starters, you're illegally operating on this land," Cain said, jumping right into business. "You're allowed to live here, sure, but you're leaning towards a secession from Idelva Kingdom, and that is definitely illegal. That is putting everyone here at risk."

For the first time Cain had ever seen, Reinhardtzar looked angry. "It's not my fault Idelva isn't doing anything. They left us here to starve. And how do _you_ know all of that?"

Cain opened his mouth, realized that it was a rare event where he had talked himself into a hole without a plan, and closed it. He couldn't even come up with something on the spot.

Reinhardtzar snorted. "Well?"

"I...overheard it," Cain finished.

"That's an even worse lie than what you told me when you sicced monsters on me." Reinhardtzar advanced a step. "Don't you dare think you can get away with lying to me on such a big topic, and after insulting me and my men."

"I wouldn't dream of insulting you guys! I was just...pointing out the truth."

That did nothing but agitate Reinhardtzar further. He brought his fists together.

Cain whirled around and bolted.

"Get back here, Cain!"

This time Cain had genuinely pissed him off, _and_  he had even less of a plan than the last time Reinhardtzar had chased him.

He was screwed.

 

* * *

 

Finding actual skyfarers was a godsend. Originally he had only found two, a young girl and a small dragon, but then he discovered another young girl and a female knight, and all of them combined was the jackpot.

Not that he actually wanted to use them. He was just grateful they had appeared in the nick of time to save him. He had actually managed to throw Reinhardtzar off his trail -- a few monsters had appeared, and it had startled Reinhardtzar enough that Cain suspected he thought Cain had another plan up his sleeve -- forcing Reinhardtzar to send other people after him.

Cain led them to the village to stay, but when one of the outlaws predictably tore through the village and found them, they lost their very brief shelter.

"I can't believe you provoked them again! How many times have I told you to leave them alone?!" the same old man from before told him.

He winced. It was a well deserved scolding. Even if the villagers hadn't known how serious the threats in the past against Cain had been -- Cain himself wasn't even sure how serious those had been -- that didn't excuse getting them caught in the crossfire and getting them scared.

The man yelled at him more and then kicked them all out. Cain didn't even have the time to apologize to Djeeta's crew.

Reinhardtzar approached them, quiet and calmer but definitely still mad. " _You_. You're coming with us. All of you."

With Katalina and Djeeta Cain could put up much more of a fight against Reinhardtzar, but then Reinhardtzar took a hostage, and Cain had no choice but to give in. They were led away to Sturren Fort.

 

* * *

 

Somehow -- for reasons Cain was never going to understand -- he liked it. He liked Reinhardtzar being this mad. Him being mad alone was enough to make Cain secretly flush, but the thought that he _liked_ it was embarrassing and made him hot.

He wisely decided to not talk on the walk over, stiff as it was being escorted by outlaws.

Then Reinhardtzar explained why his outlaws had commandeered the island, and everything made sense. A startling amount of sense. Reinhardtzar wanted to rule the island. Not out of greed, but still. He wanted to build an _army_.

It explained why he had been eyeing him. Cain had no control over the brief red color that took over his face when he put it together.

"I'm sorry, but we can't help you," Katalina told Reinhardtzar. "We have a journey to get back on, and things to do."

Reinhardtzar looked at Cain expectantly.

"I also have things I have to do. I have my own duties, and things I need to accomplish," Cain said. He leaned in forward a little to add, "You took your sweet time popping the question, though. It makes me think you don't actually want me."

"Of course I want you," Reinhardtzar snapped.

The statement made everyone go silent. Cain snorted into his hand, trying to restrain himself, and then he burst out laughing.

"Oh god. That was worth it," Cain said in between wheezes.

Reinhardtzar gave a tense sigh in irritation. " _Cain_."

"I'm sorry, I just..." Cain did his best to straighten his face to say, "It just wasn't that romantic. Try again." Cain erupted into laughter again.

Reinhardtzar raised a fist, and Djeeta's crew flinched. Cain raised his hands while still laughing.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I was just joking! Joking like usual!"

" _It wasn't funny_ ," Reinhardtzar said.

"Is... Are you always like this?" Katalina asked while pointing at Reinhardtzar and looking in Cain's direction with disapproval.

"He's like this." "Yeah." "Yes, he always bugs Tzar," Reinhardtzar's men murmured.

Reinhardtzar clasped his hands together threateningly. " _That aside_ , I'm still not letting you five get away."

"I'll stop making jokes if you let us go," Cain said.

Reinhardtzar hesitated. Cain counted that as a small victory.

"No," Reinhardtzar decided.

Cain ducked his head to Djeeta and Katalina to murmur, "Sorry, I tried."

Reinhardtzar moved in to swing at them, and to Cain's surprise, Djeeta reacted to intercept him. It almost wasn't a reaction at all, it was like they had both decided to throw the first attack. Cain knew she was strong, but he didn't think she was also fearless.

They escaped with ease thanks to their combined strength. Without a place to go at the village, they took a breather outside the village in a clearing.

"I have a plan," Cain said to Djeeta's crew. "Will you help me?"

 

* * *

 

Cain felt a little uncomfortable using Djeeta's crew, maneuvering them like they were chess pieces, but it was better than the alternative of having people die. He was also confident that he could play a heavy enough hand to get Reinhardtzar to kneel. He knew him well enough by now to have a handle on his buttons and how to push them.

"I don't believe you for a second," Reinhardtzar said. "They would never destroy the seal. They're way too nice."

"That's why I didn't tell them what it does," Cain said with a small amount of smugness. "All they know is that it'll help stop you."

Reinhardtzar scowled, his mouth and fists twitching. "You wouldn't dare."

Cain dropped his smugness, his face falling with seriousness. "I would."

"No. You wouldn't." Reinhardtzar became calmer, too. "You wouldn't use them like that, would you? Well, it's obvious you'd use them a _little_ , but you wouldn't force them to do something so drastic, especially when it's against your own morals."

Cain tried to speak, but like his new usual with Reinhardtzar, he had talked himself into a hole. Reinhardtzar knew him too well by now too.

He had also gone and blabbed to Reinhardtzar earlier, when they had temporarily been captured, that he hated seeing people die.

"Reinhardtzar," Cain said, clinging to the first thing that came to mind, "if I release the seal, fewer people will die than if Idelva's military came. They would _crush_ you."

"Cain. You're a horrible liar," Reinhardtzar said with solemn confidence. "One of these days I'm going to stop believing everything you say."

"You'll stop believing anything I say? What about when I said I wanted you?" Cain asked one second before he could catch up to any regret.

Reinhardtzar blinked slowly. "You _never_ said that."

Instead of coming to a simple realization that he hadn't, in fact, said that, he floated out of his body and came crashing back into himself with a heavy pounding of his heart. "You're...you're right... That was you," Cain said distantly.

Reinhardtzar groaned. "Cain. Neither of us did. If anything, you said that for me." He clenched his fists. "Enough joking around, Cain!"

"You're right, you have a point. I'll stop joking around. I'll just speak the truth, then," Cain said, still a little distantly, but coming back to himself like the beating of his heart was tethering himself down to earth. He had no other talking points, no plans, nothing else to persuade Reinhardtzar, so he rode the feeling. "You know, when you first started watching me back and eyeing me, I was genuinely flattered. I kind of thought you might have been thinking of recruiting me. Then you actually did try, which I found pretty funny.

"I liked fighting you. I used special herbs to get the monsters to ignore me back then, by the way. I've always had a weird sense of humor, and I ended up dragging us both into a weird tense game with my joking around and our fighting, and part of me thought you liked it too, but I never believed it completely and pushed it because I wasn't _completely_ stupid. The truth is, though, I've never had this much fun bothering someone."

When Cain paused, Reinhardtzar said carefully, "Cain. Is this a _confession_?"

Cain thought back over his words. "...Is it?"

Reinhardtzar's face fell. "Tell me this isn't another joke."

"I don't know! But it's definitely not a joke! Do you...want it to be real?" Cain asked.

Reinhardtzar placed his hand over his face. "I know you're smart, but...you are also maybe the dumbest man I have ever met."

"But isn't that impressive?" Cain asked, adopting a familiar smile. "I'm--"

Shouting rang out across the village, and they both whipped their heads around.

Idelva soldiers were flooding in, arriving in numbers that put Reinhardtzar's own army to shame. Leona was at the front, and when she spotted Cain, she leaned forward into a purposeful stride.

"Cain! What are you _doing_?!" Leona shouted. She swung her spear to the front, prepared to engage. "We know you were missing earlier!"

Cain paled. "They found me..."

Reinhardtzar's anger flared again. "You're with the _Idelva military_?"

"It's not what you think! I'm not specifically here _with_ them!" Cain cried out.

Cain ducked in case Reinhardtzar lost his temper, and his intuition had been right. A rush of air swept past his head confirming it.

By the time Cain had recovered Leona was also in front of them, and Cain hesitated, glancing between them.

Reinhardtzar and Leona had no such hesitations or qualms, they surged toward each other. Cain felt a flicker of warmth at the fact that neither of them went to him, they'd rather attack someone else and risk harming them, but he had to stop them from hurting each other.

He held his hand out. "Wait! Stop!"

Neither of them responded. Reinhardtzar's reflexes were too sharp to be directly hit, but Leona managed to nick him on the side, where his armor was.

"Reinhardtzar, _stop!_ Think about it! You're completely surrounded!" Cain exclaimed. He unsheathed his katana at the same time, swinging it up so it clanged against Leona's spear.

Leona stared at him in shock. "Cain?! What're you doing?"

"Leo, you need to stop for a second," Cain said, his voice tight from the physical strain of holding her back. She withdrew, eyeing him with veiled surprise.

In the distance Djeeta's crew arrived, fighting to keep the military back. Their arrival provided an additional distraction.

Reinhardtzar took the chance to gauge the situation. After he noticed how outnumbered he was, he raised his head, defiant with his nose in the air.

"You're right, Cain. I could never take such a big risk with Idelva's military around. I care about my men," Reinhardtzar confessed. He waved in the air. "Everyone, back down. We're surrendering."

Cain could tell it wasn't a true surrender. Reinhardtzar was also a terrible liar. He surrendered to save his men, but he was still prepared to go down swinging, a calculated move to lose little and still have a shot at winning.

Reinhardtzar tried to attack again, aiming for Cain and Leona. Cain caught him on the blunt side of his katana.

"How about that," Cain remarked gravely. "We'll get to fight for real after all."

Reinhardtzar shrugged off the katana and stepped back. "So. You're one of Idelva's generals."

"How did you figure it out?"

Reinhardtzar shrugged. "It's only obvious. I just put it all together." Reinhardtzar smashed a fist into his palm. A surge of power rolled out from him, a presence that thickened the air, and a low glow followed.

"Funny. I also figured you'd make one last stand," Cain said.

"We can read each other too well," Reinhardtzar said in agreement.

"We do. We're perfect for each other."

Reinhardtzar stumbled with a choked noise, and Cain darted in immediately, already prepared for the chance.

"You are way too easy to tease," Cain said, priding himself on his straight face.

"Cain, that's _cheating_ ," Reinhardtzar snapped. Despite the weak bite in his voice, his fist was at full force, striking at him and coming across his katana instead.

It wasn't the blunt side, it was the sharp thin side. Reinhardtzar grimaced at the deep gash in his fist. His own blow sent a numbing strength into Cain's hand, and Cain stumbled backward.

"If you don't back down, I'm going to keep going," Cain said.

Reinhardtzar narrowed his eyes. " _What?_ "

"You heard me." Cain returned his katana to a prepared stance. "I'll keep going, and I don't just mean with a katana."

"Oh dear god, what is he talking about," Leona said. Cain couldn't suppress his grin.

Reinhardtzar hesitated -- which Cain reveled in, his verbal threat was so great it still made him pause -- and Cain sniped the moment with another swing, sliding in and crouching to strike at Reinhardtzar's leg. Reinhardtzar hissed.

Then Reinhardtzar finally reacted, his punch connecting with Cain's stomach. Cain was thrown back several paces.

He gasped, briefly unable to breathe. He stuck his katana into the ground to force himself up.

"You're not really fighting, are you?" Cain asked around a cough. "Took you forever just to land a hit."

Djeeta jumped into the fray, slashing a sword at Reinhardtzar's arm. Cain winced.

"Djeeta, don't," he said weakly.

Djeeta briefly paused, her head tilted in his direction, but she didn't give him the chance to add anything, returning to attacking Reinhardtzar.

"I'm right, right, Reinhardtzar?" Cain asked. "It's not actually possible for us to ever have a real fight. We don't want to seriously hurt each other."

"Shut up, Cain. You're distracting me," Reinhardtzar complained.

"Don't you want to hear alllll about us? What was it you said -- we can read each other too well? That's very flattering! If I put it into my own words, I--"

Reinhardtzar zipped out of Djeeta's range, swiveling to Cain. "Cain, _stop_ ," he demanded, bringing his fists up with the threat of physically silencing him.

"You know what to do to shut me up! Two ways, actually! The first is to just surrender, but the second, _well_..."

Reinhardtzar took a second to understand, but when he did, his face struck such a glorious balance of confusion, fury, and embarrassment packaged around a twitching mouth that Cain almost didn't make it in time to attack. It was only because Reinhardtzar was so taken aback that Cain had a chance.

Cain stabbed him one time in the calf, forcing him to fall to his knees, and he wrapped an arm around Reinhardtzar's neck.

"Checkmate," Cain proclaimed.

Nobody reacted for a moment, until Leona reluctantly started giving orders. Her lingering gaze on Cain warned him about the huge scolding to come.

A few soldiers came to arrest Reinhardtzar, and Cain reluctantly left the katana in his leg until he was securely detained, afraid of him making a final final stand. Djeeta shocked him and Reinhardtzar by taking out a staff and healing them both. Her healing prowess was as balanced as her skill with her sword.

"Wow, thanks!" Cain thanked her. She gave him a thumbs up.

"I didn't hurt you too badly, did I?" Reinhardtzar asked quietly when she stepped away.

"Of course you did. It hurt like hell," Cain said without remorse. "But your hand! That terrified me for a bit."

"Yeah, right. You weren't worried at all."

"I really was! I happen to be an excellent actor."

"Clearly," Reinhardtzar said with a huff.

"No, I really am good at acting and lying. I'm just...bad when it comes to you, I guess," Cain said as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Really," Reinhardtzar said with fake disinterest, his genuine interest increasing.

Cain's shoulders slumped. "I'm completely serious about what I said earlier, though. I mean, I meant all of it, but especially the part about me not technically being here for the military."

"Then why _were_ you here?"

"I heard about the possible secession, and I wanted to prevent full blown fighting. I didn't want any deaths. But if Idelva dealt with Merkmal directly..."

"...I understand," Reinhardtzar said. "You were stupidly trying to handle the entire problem by yourself." He gazed at Cain with smug affection.

It made Cain's stomach swoop. "You know me," he said with a small smile. "I'm an idiot. Hopefully yours though, at least?"

Reinhardtzar fought his own smile, but it still appeared. It made Cain grow even warmer. "I... Everything  _happened_ , it's like I didn't have a choice, you barreled in and it just... _happened_. So yeah. Obviously."

**Author's Note:**

> (General A/N): Not looking for concrit.


End file.
